BLOGS

Managing People? Don’t Leave Policy to Chance. From the initial hiring to offboarding, how you manage relationships with employees and contractors has a direct legal impact… and in today’s workplace, expectations are higher than ever. Here’s why strong workplace policies matter: Your policies don’t have to be complex but they do have to be considered.…

Employee or Contractor? Getting it Wrong Can Be Costly. Hiring someone? It’s critical to get the classification right. The line between an employee and an independent contractor isn’t always clear and getting it wrong can expose your business to unforeseen problems with respect to tax, superannuation and/or fair work claims. A few key points: You…

Not all Joint Venture agreements are created equal, and vague terms can come back to bite you mid project. Here’s what a solid JV agreement should cover: Pro tip: If you’re using the JV to tender for government work, make sure you understand joint and several liability; each party could be on the hook for…

Thinking of forming a Joint Venture? Read this first. Before you jump into a JV, take a breath. Yes, a Joint Venture can open big doors but like any business relationship, it needs trust, clarity and the right structure. A few key questions to ask before signing: Have all participants received independent legal, tax, and…

What is a Joint Venture, and why would you want one? Need extra skills, scale or qualifications to tender for or manage a big project? A Joint Venture (JV) could be the solution. A JV is an agreement between two or more businesses to collaborate on a defined project, sharing risks, rewards, and resources. It’s…

Lost a government contract? You may still be entitled to a debrief… and it’s one of the most valuable parts of the process. A proper debrief can reveal: Pro tip: A debrief won’t tell you who won or what the pros and cons of other contractors were, but it will tell you what you can…

How Government tenders are assessed… price matters, but it’s rarely the only factor. Government tenders are assessed across multiple criteria that are important to government. Here’s what your business should be ready to demonstrate: You may not be the cheapest, and that’s okay. Government is often looking at the big picture. Sign up to read…

Thinking of Tendering to Government? Start Here. Government contracts can be a game changer for business, but only if you understand the rules of the game. Before you respond to a government procurement request: I’ve written a practical guide covering everything from liability to subcontracting, privacy to publicity and what happens if your business goes…

Need to Change a Contract? Here’s What to Know. Changing a contract sounds simple, but it can get tricky fast. A variation is when both parties agree to change part of the deal (without tearing the whole thing up). But even small changes can have big implications, especially if: The variation alters the nature of…

Signing a Contract? Don’t Skip the Basics. It’s easy to assume a signature means a contract is good to go, but if the wrong person signs, or signs incorrectly, the entire contract could be unenforceable. Here’s a quick breakdown: Sole traders (and individual trustees) can sign themselves—ideally with a witness. Companies need to follow section…

Contract Clauses that deserve more attention than they get… So many contracts are skimmed for the headline numbers, price, deliverables, and timeframes, but the real risk management often sits quietly in the fine print. Here are a few key clauses that should not be overlooked: Bonus tip: If you are ever asked to agree to…

Contracts: Where to start (and what not to miss) When reviewing or drafting a contract, there is a simple framework I always come back to, six deceptively basic questions: But that’s just the starting point.Many businesses skip straight to price or deliverables and miss the quiet heavy-lifters in a contract: the so-called “standard” clauses. Things…